Discussants

Carmela Angeline B. Penales Course & Year: BTTE-4C

Lalaine T. Reginaldo
______________________________________________________________________________

I. TOPIC
Career Awarenesss in Elementary School
II.OBJECTIVES
1. Identify what is career awareness in elementary school.
2. Analyze the importance of career awareness for elementary children.
3. Explain the different activities that will help a child to develop his/her awareness of
career.

III.INTRODUCTION
In this lesson, we will be able to understand the career awareness in elementary school.
This lesson will give you the knowledge about the importance of career awareness for
elementary aged children.

IV.CONTENT PROPER

Career Awareness in Elementary School

Elementary school is a crucial time for developing career awareness and instilling a culture of
self-empowerment. From an early age, students can begin profiling their strengths, interests, and
values. For most children, their first awareness of careers develops from their immediate family
members. A child whose mother is a nurse might want to be a nurse. A child whose grandfather
is an electrician might want to be an electrician. This development of awareness is a positive
step, and educators can help students deepen this awareness beyond their experiences at home. It
is also an appropriate time for students to begin examining their own interests and developing
self-confidence to achieve their future goals (even if those goals change many times).

Why is it important to get an early start?

Elementary school is not too early to start teaching your child about career awareness. It is
important for your child to become aware of how his or her schooling is connected to a
successful future. While in elementary school, you can help your child:

Discover the variety of jobs available to him or her;

Connect what he or she is learning in school to real-world situations;
Imagine himself or herself in an occupation; and
Develop work-readiness skills such as working and playing with others, making decisions,
solving problems and being a leader.
Many times, children choose careers based on what they see on television or what their parents
do for a living. If you help your child learn about a broad range of careers, he or she will have
more information when it comes time to choose a career.

To help your child understand how his or her schoolwork will be used in a future career, you can
explain the skills workers use in their jobs.

For example:
A veterinarian uses math skills to calculate the amount of medicine a cat will need;
A reporter needs writing skills to compose newspaper articles; and
A marine biologist relies on his or her knowledge of science to study aquatic life.

By talking with your child about the link between school and careers, you will help your child
understand that school is important and that school success can open doors to his or her ideal
career.

How do I start talking to my child about careers?

One way to start talking to your elementary-aged child about careers is to talk about the things
that interest your child. Then, point out how these items of interest relate to activities that adults
do.

For example:
If your child likes art, discuss how adults use art to design houses, clothing, magazine
ads, movie sets and even toys. Explain that art is also used to draw cartoons, arrange
flowers and take photos for magazines and books.
If your child likes to be outdoors, discuss how he or she can have a career that involves
working outside, such as landscape architecture, forestry, archeology, construction work,
marine biology and commercial fishing.
If your child is very social, discuss how people who like to talk and work with people
may choose to work as a teacher, a lawyer, a customer service representative, a
receptionist, a hotel manager or a convention planner.
If your child likes to help people, talk about different ways he or she can do that in a
career, such as working as a nurse, doctor, athletic trainer, family counselor or child care
worker.
If your child loves math, you may want to talk with him or her about the possibility of
becoming an accountant, a computer programmer, an engineer or a statistician. You
should also remind your child that almost all careers use basic math, so it is a very
important skill to have.
If your child likes to keep others safe, talk to your child about a career as a police
officer, a forensic scientist, a detective, an investigator, a parole officer, a security guard
or a bailiff.

Being attentive to your daughters or sons world is critical to career

development.

Observation is an important foundation upon which young children build a picture of who they
are and how they fit into the world. For young children, this is a time of great change as they
become more aware of their environment and begin to form attitudes about themselves, school,
friends, authority, and work roles. Your role in this process is to guide your daughters or sons
energy by providing structure, encouragement, and praise. Encouraging the development of
academic, physical, social, and work skills contributes to positive self-esteem and empowers
your child to feel more in control of her or his future. This is also the time to use a caring and
consistent manner to teach the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Help
your daughter or son to learn the logical consequences of behaviors and to understand the
valuable connection between purpose and goals. Children also need assistance discovering their
special talents and abilities, and you are the best person to help.

What you can do and how!

Together, explore your daughters or sons personal interests and preferences It
is sometimes difficult to separate your interests from your childs but the distinction is
important.
Involve your child in many different experiences for example, include family projects
and tasks that occur around the home. Following each project, talk with your daughter or
son about the experience. This helps your child to discover interests, preferences, and
abilities in a caring and supportive environment.
Validate her or his initiative by being attentive to activities in which your child
participates outside of the home.

Demonstrate your ability to get along with others

Discuss with your son or daughter why it is important to be able to work with others.
Illustrate how people in the community cooperate with one another this can lead to an
open discussion about how people demonstrate respect for themselves and for others.
Support your daughter or son in making healthy choices.

Increase your daughters or sons knowledge of different occupations

Identify different jobs in a variety of settings one easy way is to consider your
residence, which was probably designed by an architect, financed by a loan officer, and
build by carpenters, plumbers, electricians, and others. Recognizing occupations is the
first step to better understanding occupational roles.
Demonstrate the value added to society by different occupations consider what would
happen if an occupation did not exist or was in high demand because of a shortage of
skilled workers. You could use the same example as above . . . what if there were no
carpenters?

Explain the concepts of work roles and responsibilities

Utilize household chores to teach about the world of work increase task complexity as
capabilities increase. You could start with putting dirty clothes in the hamper, then
learning to sort laundry, and progress to loading the washer and choosing the correct
wash cycle.
Homework is another great place to develop strong work habits talk about how habits
in school are similar to those used at home and at work. Examples might include
completing work on time, attending class, and listening carefully to instructions.
Teamwork can be an important factor in reaching most goals a visit to your local fast
food restaurant can demonstrate how its necessary for everyone to work together to
produce those yummy cheeseburgers, tasty French fries, and thirst-quenching soft drinks.
 Create opportunities to learn about worlds beyond your daughters or sons
immediate experience consider not only places but future times or events. The ability
to direct change in life begins by becoming aware that possibilities exist beyond those in
our immediate environment and time frame. Help your child to see how she or he is
changing and then discuss how the world around her or him is also changing.
Talk with your child about what she or he is thinking and feeling discussing thoughts
and feelings is a great way to help children understand their personal development in
terms of physical and emotional changes. Identifying feelings also helps children to
become more sensitive to others and the world around them.
Encourage your daughter or son to imagine the world 20 years from now including
lifestyle options (examples might include type of housing or transportation), potential
occupations, challenges, and the excitement generated by new possibilities and
opportunities. Create, with your child, a picture of a world in which she or he can
contribute her or his special talents and abilities.

Other Career Skills for your Elementary-Aged Child

Elementary school is the time when your child should start learning about responsibility,
cooperation, and problem solving. Here are some ways you as a parent can help your child learn
these valuable skills for school and for work. You can help your child in many ways.

For example:
Help your child develop a positive attitude and feel good about his or her life.
Talk about what your child likes and dislikes, and explain that every person has different
likes and dislikes.
Teach your child to accept other children's ideas, even if they are different from your
child's.
Have your child think about how his or her behavior might affect the feelings of other
children.
Resolve conflicts in a positive manner.
Talk to your child about how he or she is feeling, and teach your child to deal with his or
her emotions in a healthy manner.
Have your family work as a team to complete a home project.
When your child makes a mistake, work to correct the mistake and to prevent the same
mistake from happening again.
Take your child to school on time, and teach your child the importance of punctuality.
Involve your child in real-world examples of decision-making. Talk to your child about
how his or her decisions impact other people.
Explain why work is important not only for a source of income but also as a way to
contribute to society.